Week 2: New nominations for Stars of Building Science

Report from –
Jo Smit

21/8/2013

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It is week two of the voting for Building4change’s search for the Stars of Building Science and nominations and votes are flowing in.

The list of nominations for our virtual academy of excellence has now grown from 14 to 17, with the newest additions to the list being David Clark (pictured top right), global sustainability partner at Cundall; Susie Diamond, founder of building physics consultancy Inkling; and Professor Fergus Nicol, known for his work on the adaptive approach to thermal comfort.

There’s still time to nominate your star or register your vote for the list below. Further details about this poll are given below.

David Clark has more than two decades’ experience working in the UK and Australia on innovative and high profile projects, winning numerous awards for both sustainable design and Cundall’s corporate activities. He is chartered in both building services and structural engineering. As the global sustainability partner for Cundall, Clark was responsible for the practice achieving One Planet Company status from BioRegional – the first consultancy to do so. This year saw the publication of his book What colour is your building? by RIBA Publishing, which puts into context the whole carbon footprint of buildings, provides practical guidance on how to reduce this, and debunks a few myths along the way.

Lisa Heschong

Lisa Heschong (pictured middle right) is an expert in daylighting, lighting energy use and human factors in building design, having carried out key research that identified a correlation between the presence of daylight in classrooms and improved student performance. The architect is managing principal of Heschong Mahone Group, the California-based energy-efficiency consultancy she co-founded almost two decades ago. As an energy consultant, Heschong has influenced California’s codes and its buildings, while as a writer and educator she has worked with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories and authored a string of books and academic papers.

Peter Walker

Peter Walker (pictured bottom right) is perhaps best known for his work on Bale Haus, a prototype house at the University of Bath which was constructed using the ModCell panel system incorporating straw bale. Low carbon and traditional materials are a key area of interest for Walker, who is head of the university’s department of architecture and civil engineering and director of its BRE Centre for Innovative construction materials. Other areas of current research interest include materials for improved indoor air quality, structural masonry and innovative timber engineering. Walker is a chartered civil engineer and a member of both the Institution of Engineers Australia and the UK’s Institution of Civil Engineers. He has been working at Bath University for five years.

The full list of nominees to date:

Bill Bordass, head of research and policy development, Usable Buildings Trust

Doug King, owner of Doug King Consulting, visiting professor of building physics at Bath University, Chongqing University and Russia's Kuban State University, and chief science and engineering advisor at BRE

Paul Littlefair, principal lighting consultant, BRE

Vivian Loftness, professor in the school of architecture, Carnegie Mellon University

Kevin Lomas, professor of building simulation, Loughborough University

Don McLean, founder and managing director, IES

Fergus Nicol, professor emeritus of architecture at Oxford Brookes University and deputy director, low energy architecture research unit at London Metropolitan University

Tadj Oreszczyn, professor of energy and environment and director of the UCL Energy Institute, University College London

Peter Walker, head of department of architecture and civil engineering, and director of the BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, University of Bath.

What is the Stars of Building Science poll?

The poll gives you the chance to vote for your chosen Stars of Building Science. Your nominee may be an established name already familiar to many within the industry for their achievements, or they may be a rising star, making their mark in their chosen field. They may be working in a university or research organisation or a major multinational business; they may be a UK construction industry name, or perhaps even be innovating with a brand new technology in a start-up.

The competition is open to those involved in any aspect of the built environment and any discipline, in the UK or overseas. Our search is intended simply to recognise the achievements of all those who are promoting the very best in building science to improve the quality, sustainability and resilience of the built environment, and ultimately to make people’s lives better.

You can nominate more than one individual, but you cannot cast more than one vote for one individual. The competition will close to new nominations on 6 September 2013. Voting for the final list of nominees will then remain open until 20 September 2013. After that time we will announce our final list of the top scorers, who together will form a virtual academy of scientific excellence. If you want to see your choice on the list, then make sure you vote today.